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4. Energy Budgets
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The sun's energy output may be more variable than first thought
Measurements have been made by satellite suggesting that the sun's energy output may be more variable than first thought. In the early 1980s, measurements showed a 0.1% decrease in the amount of solar energy reaching the Earth over an 18 month period. The continuation of this trend over several decades could greatly influence the global climate. Climate models have already suggested that a change in solar output of 1% per century could alter the Earth's average temperature by between 0.5 and 1.0 degrees Celsius.
What effect could a change in solar output of 1% per century have on the Earth's climate?